LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 445

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

ROUTES TO MINISTRY
Chapter III, 14 including the reference to Chemnitz Examine II, 13);
and
Whereas, The Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the
Missouri Synod clearly states the rights and privileges of the royal
priests:
30. The Original and True Possessors of All Christian Rights and Privileges—Since the Christians are the Church, it is self-evident that they
alone originally possess the spiritual gifts and rights which Christ has
gained for, and given to, His Church. Thus St. Paul reminds all believers: “All things are yours,” 1 Cor. 3:21, 22, and Christ Himself commits to all believers the keys of the kingdom of heaven, Matt. 16:13–19;
18:17–20; John 20:22, 23, and commissions all believers to preach the
Gospel and to administer the Sacraments, Matt. 28:19, 20; 1 Cor. 11:23–
25. Accordingly, we reject all doctrines by which this spiritual power or
any part thereof is adjudged as originally vested in certain individuals or
bodies, such as the Pope, or the bishops, or the order of the ministry, or
the secular lords, or councils, or synods, etc. The officers of the Church
publicly administer their offices only by virtue of delegated powers, and
such administration remains under the supervision of the latter, Col.
4:17. Naturally all Christians have also the right and the duty to judge
and decide matters of doctrine, not according to their own notions, of
course, but according to the Word of God, 1 John 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:11; and

Whereas, The lay licensed deacon, who has a very particular,
special, and specific ministry in the Church, is grounded not merely
in the priesthood of believers but, through the Office of the Public
Ministry, in the ministry of Christ and the apostles; and
Whereas, The use of lay workers (the royal priests) in serving the
Church under a properly called pastor is clearly consonant with and
not in violation of Articles V (The Ministry of the Church) and XIV
(Order in the Church) of the Augsburg Confession; and
Whereas, The doctrine of the universal priesthood is frequently
paid lip service and the scriptural emphasis that every Christian is a
priest with specific priesthood obligations is not executed, thus requiring the overwhelming need and utilization of trained laymen and
women to carry out the divine commission of our Lord; and
Whereas, According to Bylaw 5.2.3.1: “The circuit visitor shall,
when requested to do so by the district president, serve as his representative in the triennial visitation of the congregations of the circuit.
(a) In doing so, he should keep in mind the glory and responsibility
of the universal priesthood of all believers as it applies to the congregations. He shall remind them that they are “a chosen generation,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people to show forth the
praises of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9) [emphasis added]; and
Whereas, Kirche und Amt, in stating the doctrinal position of
the LCMS, indicates that: “The ministry of preaching is conferred
by God through the congregation, as holder of all church power, or
of the keys, and by its call, as prescribed by God. The ordination of
those called, with the laying on of hands, is not by divine institution
but is an apostolic church ordinance and merely a public, solemn confirmation of the call” (Thesis VI of the Theses on the Ministry); and
Whereas, The formal doctrinal position adopted in 1851 in the
Theses on Church and Ministry also include other helpful doctrinal
theses; and
Whereas, The Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the
Missouri Synod in Theses 31 and 33 clearly teaches that Office of
Public Ministry is a “divine ordinance” and that “the Christians of
a certain locality must apply the means of grace … ,” and clearly
teaches that “ordination … is not a divine ordinance”; and
Whereas, A report of the CTCR, September 1981 (The Ministry
Offices, Procedures and Nomenclature) states:
Ordination has its historical roots in the New Testament and in the
church through the ages. It is a solemn ecclesiastical rite by which a

445

duly qualified member of the body of Christ who has accepted a valid
call from the church is presented to the church as a gift of the Holy Spirit
and publicly declared to be a holder of the office of the public ministry.
It is a public ratification of the call and an invocation of the blessings of
God upon the new minister. While the rite of ordination including the
laying on of hands is not a necessity, it is to be revered as an ancient
apostolic custom. In keeping with this custom, the laying on of hands of
other pastors and the presence of teachers and members of the church
from places other than the site of the ordainee’s immediate call is meaningful. When a man is ordained in one congregation, for example, he is
recognized as a member of the public ministry of the whole confessional
fellowship. Ordination as an act does not impart an additional authority
that the call does not give, nor is it a sacrament” (p. 22); and

Whereas, While the Office of the Public Ministry is a divine
ordinance, ordination is de jure humano (by human right, order, or
arrangement only), an excellent and commendable practice, and not
de jure divino (by divine right, law, or requirement). To be clear, ordination is not a sacrament and is not a divine ordinance; and
Whereas, The 2013 convention adopted Res. 4-06A “to resolve
questions about the service of licensed lay deacons serving congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod with the Word
and Sacraments of Christ” (the matter of the 1989 Res. 3-05B); and
Whereas, The 4-06A Task Force on July 9, 2015, submitted its
report and recommendations, which in effect nullifies and replaces
1989 Res. 3-05B; and
Whereas, While attempts were made in 2001 to rescind 1989
Res. 3-05B, the 2001 convention adopted Res. 3-08B: “Resolved,
That the Synod authorize its districts to continue training lay deacons as directed by the spirit of the 1989 Wichita Res. 3-05B in which
trained lay ministers serve under the supervision of an ordained pastor; … and … Resolved, That this convention rescind 1995 St. Louis
convention Res. 3-07A (requiring such licensed laymen to complete
a seminary program for ordination); and be it further Resolved, That
we pray the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth laborers into
His harvest (Matt. 9:37–38)”; and
Whereas, The 4-06A Task Force Report and Recommendations
are theologically in error, controversial, and divisive in at least the
following particulars:
1. The royal priesthood of believers is limited to “their daily lives and
vocations” and “one’s daily vocation in the world” as if they are not
directly involved in the worship, mission, and ministry of a Christian congregation (the royal priesthood), including exercising their
priesthood as the holder of all church power by the very calling of
pastors or “entrust[ing] to particular persons for special administration” or for that matter, being the particular one (royal priest) entrusted with a specific ministry under a called pastor;
2. Ordination, which is de jure humano, is being considered necessary
and required for ministry;
3. While declaring not to set in opposition the priesthood of believers
and the Office of the [Public] Ministry, the report and recommendations in fact clearly does so;
4. Declaring lay licensed deacons “the de facto pastors of LCMS congregations” when in fact, while serving under a pastor and carrying
out some of the functions of a pastor, a lay licensed deacon is considered in the Church not a de facto or a de jure divino pastor;
5. Implying that a lay licensed deacon cannot proclaim the pure Gospel;
6. The “threefold perspective”—examination, congregational call,
ordination—is all considered required although the “ordination”
is only de jure humano (though salutary for good order); the “examination” is de jure humano (full-time seminary-prepared pastor,
“examined by faculty,” etc.) unless it is only understood to be the
scriptural qualifications for the office of a pastor or deacon. Only

2016 Convention Workbook